Welcome to day 8 of the Christmas series where I will be showing how to gift dried herbs! Everyone likes fresh herbs from the garden, so why not dry them for friends to use in the kitchen all year long?
If you missed it, I shared about my raised garden and what I planted in it back in the spring. My tomatoes and peppers did not do very well in the summer but in the fall they did really well. I guess it was too hot for them in the summer. But my herbs did and are doing well. I have plenty of chives, parsley, and mint. I only foraged parsley to show how to dry them but will be drying all of them. Mint would make a great tea and I am thinking of adding it to a gift basket with an assortment of different teas!
How to Dry Herbs
- Pick whatever herbs you have in the garden and thoroughly wash them.
- Dry them as best as you can and place on paper towels.
- Let them air dry for a few weeks, dehydrate, or place on parchment paper on baking sheets and dry in the oven at 180 degrees for a few hours until completely dry.
- Then, place into jars and gift!
Gifting the Dried Herbs
You could crush the herbs for easier use and label the jars with what it is! How simple but thoughtful! Herbs can be pricey from the store but with a little bit of work, it can be made at home very easily and inexpensively.
Some Variations
- make a homemade Italian seasoning blend by combining dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and parsley
- make a lot of taco seasoning if you grow oregano and combine all of the ingredients to gift
Other Ways to Preserve Herbs from the Garden
- tie small bundles of herbs and hang upside down to air dry. They even sell cute drying racks for herbs like this one or this one.
- flash freeze and stir in ziplock bags in the freezer for easy access in recipes
- chop up the herbs and put into ice trays, then top off with olive oil or even water
12 Days of Christmas Series
“On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me a jar of home-grown dried herbs, a beautiful centerpiece arrangement, Christmas wreath, a jar of herb-infused olive oil, the wellness bundle, homemade potpourri blend, two bar soaps, and a loaf of sourdough bread.”
We hope you have been following along our Christmas series! If you have missed any day, they are all linked above! We hope you feel inspired to make something with your hands and what you already have for friends and family this year! Merry Christmas!!!
[…] the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me homemade hot chocolate mix with marshmallows, a jar of home-grown dried herbs, a beautiful centerpiece arrangement, Christmas wreath, a jar of herb-infused olive oil, the […]